Nicholas Goepper of the United States is congratulated after winning the bronze medal in men's ski slopestyle at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (AP) — Hundreds of students and others filled the high school gymnasium in slopestyle skier Nick Goepper’s southeastern Indiana hometown to celebrate his Olympic bronze medal win.

The rally Tuesday at Lawrenceburg High School came hours after the 19-year-old Goepper arrived back home nearly two weeks after he and two other Americans swept the slopestyle medals in Sochi.

Goepper told the crowd he was proud to hear Lawrenceburg announced as his hometown at the Olympics and other events.

He says he hopes other young skiers in the Midwest are inspired by his story of skiing at the small Perfect North Slopes near his home until he was 15 and practicing on AstroTurf in his backyard during the summer.

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